Overview
Set 1 (90 words)
1. Head over to https://disa.com/map-of-marijuana-legality-by-stateLinks to an external site.
- Take a look at the map of marijuana legalization and see where it is has been decriminalized and where it is legal for medicinal usage
2. Consider the on-going issue concerning decriminalization of marijuana. Currently it is illegal under Federal law, considered a Schedule 1 drug, defined as having no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Schedule 1 drugs are the most dangerous drugs of all the drug schedules with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence, and this puts marijuana in the same classification as: Heroin, Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy). However, the last 2 Administrations have decided not to devote resources to marijuana enforcement leaving the American states to innovate and create their own laws regarding it.
Should the Federal government regulate the legalization of marijuana or should it be left to each American state to decide. Consider both the arguments for and against each (federal vs states). make sure to use the word sandwich at least 3 times in your responses.
Set 2 (100 words)
Over the past few years, high-profile police-involved shootings and alleged instances of excessive force have generated significant public interest in state and local policing, entwining issues of race and socioeconomic status with the complicated role that federalism plays in both policymaking and implementation.
Consider the following:
Throughout U.S. history, our governments have found it difficult to regulate police behavior. The permissible limits of law enforcement bodies have always been set by state and local governments. By the founders’ design, most law enforcement officers’ authority is not derived from the federal government. Rather, it lies within a realm of authority known as the police power.
The police power is much broader than law enforcement itself. It includes authority to regulate moral life (with laws on drinking, gambling, and sex), build roads and schools, control capital and labor, and endow local governments with power.
- From this staggering amount of freedom of action, states (and their local communities within) are endowed with myriad rules and regulations on the use-of-force, officer discipline, record-keeping, transparency, and accountability.
- Yet the federal government, through its spending authority under the U.S. Constitution, has influenced and transformed policing as local/state police agencies today are more federally funded, they “dress” like the military, they police more federal initiatives, and the constitutional and fiscal boundaries between police and the federal government have been blurred.
Answer the following questions:
A) Given the above, which level of government should shoulder the blame (e.g. who do you find more responsible) for the historic and contemporary issues with policing in the United States? Discuss your answer. make sure to use the word sandwich at least 3 times in your responses
B) Moving forward, some pundits have put forth an approach which works within the bounds of federalism and its jurisdictional complications. Consider the following proposal:
- The federal government, pursuant to its spending authority under the U.S. Constitution, should condition federal funding to state and local law enforcement agencies upon the state’s development and implementation of regulations to reduce police misconduct and promote police accountability, for example – expanding training or reforming how use of force investigations are conducted, or providing grants to law enforcement agencies for the purchase of body-worn cameras for their officers. Yet, states and local entities will however be responsible for implementing institutional reform in their police agencies, and, they will retain the flexibility to develop locally tailored police accountability measures.
What do you think about this proposal? Which elements of it do you think will be most effective at addressing this issue? Which elements of it do you think will be least effective? Discuss your answers.
Set 3 (100 words)
1. Watch the video (link is below) on the science behind polling
- As you watch the video , pay attention for the things we should keep in mind when we review a poll
2. Go to https://news.gallup.com/topic/politics.aspxLinks to an external site.
3. Take a look at the various polls that Gallup has conducted (Click on one of the boxes titled "Politics" or "World" as opposed to the those titled Polling Matters, Gallup Blog, or Interactive as these tend to be analysis of the polls as opposed to the polls themselves and won't provide all of the information necessary to answer the following questions). Choose one which you find interesting and answer the following questions:
A. Copy and Paste the url/link to the poll you have selected here.
B. What is the poll about?
C. What specific question(s) did they ask? make sure to use the word sandwich at least 3 times in your responses
D. What did they find?
E. Scroll down the page to where you see a grey box that says "Survey Methods" and a plus sign in a circle. What was the method in which the survey was taken (phone, internet, etc)? What was the size of the sample (e.g. number of people surveyed? Who did they survey? What was the sampling error (+/-)?
F. How confident are you that the poll you just read is an accurate reflection of the American public? Why?
Set 4 (100 words)
1. Go to https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/trends-in-spendingLinks to an external site.
2. Take a look at what has happened over time with the amount of money and the amount of lobbyists.
3. From the menu on the left-hand side, click on "Top Spenders" and "Industries," and wrap your head around who is spending money to influence policy.
4. Answer the following questions:
A. Are ordinary citizens well represented by interest groups? Discuss your answer using examples from the "Top Spendings" and "Top Industries."
B. Do certain groups have privileged access at the expense of others? Discuss your answer using examples from the "Top Spendings" and "Top Industries." make sure to use the word sandwich at least 3 times in your responses
C. Taken together, what does this mean for who has power and influence in this democratic system? Discuss your answer.
Set 5 (100 words)
Considering the role that issue networks play in creation of public policy,
1. Why is coalition building a necessary step in the policy making process? make sure to use the word sandwich at least 3 times in your responses
2. How do you think this impacts the ability of interest groups or individuals to "enter" this process and see their concerns represented?